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Apple Price Hike in India Explained: Why Macs and iPads Cost More but iPhones Don’t

Apple has raised its prices in India. A price hike means the cost of something has gone up. This hike hit MacBooks, iPads, HomePods, and Apple TV. Some MacBook prices went up by more than ₹1 lakh. But there was one big surprise. iPhone prices did not change at all. The new prices started on Thursday, June 25, 2026, on Apple’s online store. Here is what changed and why.

The short reason for the hike is a shortage of memory chips. A memory chip is a tiny part inside a computer that helps it store and use information. There are not enough of these chips right now, and the AI boom is the cause. iPhones were left out mostly because of timing and how Apple sells phones in India.

What got costlier

The cheapest MacBook, the MacBook Neo, went up from ₹69,900 to ₹79,900. The MacBook Air went up by ₹20,000. It now starts at ₹1,49,000. The top MacBook Pro models jumped by a huge ₹70,000. iPads, HomePods, and the Apple TV 4K also got more expensive.

iPhones did not change at all. The iPhone 17 stays at ₹82,900. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at ₹1,34,900. The older iPhone 16 stays at ₹69,900.

Key facts

ProductOld priceNew price
MacBook Neo₹69,900₹79,900
MacBook Air₹1,29,000₹1,49,000
MacBook Pro (high-end)—Up by ₹70,000
iPhone 17₹82,900₹82,900 (unchanged)
iPhone 17 Pro₹1,34,900₹1,34,900 (unchanged)
iPhone 16₹69,900₹69,900 (unchanged)

Why did Apple raise Mac and iPad prices?

The main reason is a big shortage of memory and storage chips. These are the parts that hold a computer’s data. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO who is leaving the job, called it a “hundred-year flood” in the supply chain. The supply chain is the whole path that parts travel before they reach a factory. In simple words, he means this is a once-in-a-lifetime problem in getting parts.

What caused the shortage? The AI boom. AI means artificial intelligence, which is computer software that can learn and think a bit like people. Companies are building huge AI data centres. A data centre is a building full of powerful computers that train and run AI. These centres need a lot of memory. One key part is called DRAM, the fast memory a computer uses for quick, short-term jobs. This year, AI data centres may use up to 70% of all the DRAM made in the world.

When so much memory goes to AI, less is left for laptops and tablets. So the price of these chips went up fast. “The memory market is experiencing a structural shift, driven by the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure,” said Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group at CyberMedia Research. In simple words, he means the chip market has changed in a deep way. He added that this is more than the usual ups and downs of the chip business.

Apple buys parts in huge amounts, so it usually gets good deals. But even Apple could not cover all of this extra cost. So it passed some of the cost on to buyers. It did this on products that use a lot of memory, like the Mac and iPad.

Why was the iPhone left untouched?

The iPhone uses memory too. So why no hike? There are a few reasons.

1. It is mid-cycle. The iPhone 17 has been on sale since last September. In India, many costly iPhones are sold through phone-company deals and pay-later plans. Many use no-cost EMI plans. An EMI is a plan that lets you pay in small monthly amounts instead of all at once. Raising the price now would mess up all those deals. It would also confuse the shops that sell iPhones. Macs and iPads sell in much smaller numbers. So Apple can change their prices easily.

2. Local assembly is a buffer. Assembly means putting the parts together to build the product. Many iPhones are now built inside India. A buffer is something that softens a shock. Building in India protects Apple from import taxes and sudden supply problems. Import taxes are fees a country charges on goods brought in from abroad. Macs and iPads are still brought in from other countries. So they have no such protection.

3. A price hike may be saved for the next model. The iPhone 18 is expected around September. Leaks, which are secret details that get out early, hint that the iPhone 18 Pro will have more RAM. RAM is the memory a phone uses to run apps smoothly. It may have 12GB as standard. This extra memory would help it run advanced Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI in iOS 27. It is easier to charge more for a brand-new phone than for one already in shops.

FAQ

Which Apple products got more expensive in India?

MacBooks, iPads, HomePods, and Apple TV 4K. Some MacBook prices went up by more than ₹1 lakh.

Did iPhone prices go up?

No. The iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 16 all kept their old prices.

Why did the prices rise?

There is a global shortage of memory chips. AI data centres are buying up most of the world’s DRAM. This made parts cost a lot more.

Why it matters (especially for India)

This price hike shows how the AI boom now reaches normal shoppers. AI needs so much memory that laptops and tablets cost more for everyone. This is true even if you do not own a data centre. If you planned to buy a Mac or iPad, the cost just went up by thousands of rupees.

It also shows why building things in your own country matters. iPhones are partly safe because they are built in India. This is the same trend behind Foxconn’s growing investment in India. The main lesson: AI is no longer just a tech story. It is now showing up on your shopping bill. And if you want a new iPhone at today’s price, it may be smart to buy before the iPhone 18 comes out.

Sources: Financial Express — Apple’s price hike explained and Financial Express — Apple hikes Mac prices by up to Rs 70,000

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